


Loss

by clowchan



Category: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - All Media Types, Trouble in the Heights (2011)
Genre: Coping, F/M, M/M, Mentions of Death, loss of a spouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22794877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clowchan/pseuds/clowchan
Summary: There's one thing Caractacus needed to tell Nevada but had to wait for the right time
Relationships: Caractacus Potts/Mimsie Potts, Caractacus Potts/Nevada Ramirez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: Nevactacus





	Loss

Caractacus was always transparent about how he felt, but there was one thing he had yet to tell Nevada. It was how his wife died. He wasn’t ready. He missed her a lot. The mere thought of her would bring tears to his eyes. It’s been three years, but it was still so fresh in his mind. Receiving that phone call. Telling the children their mother was gone. The three of them holding one another and crying. He knew Nevada wanted to know, but how to go about it? Occasionally there would be nightmares in which Caractacus would whimper. Nevada would hold him close, rub his arm or his back, and those whimpers would cease. He was grateful to find someone who understood, even if said someone was a self-proclaimed “ _hard ass_ ”. Now he felt the time to tell the full story. He calls out from the kitchen, “Nev, can I talk to you?”

“Shit, am I in trouble?” Nevada walks from their bedroom.

“No, something I’ve been meaning to say.” Caractacus sat on their dark blue couch, inviting him to be with him

Nevada sits next to him, “Did you do something?”

“No,” Caractacus shakes his head. “I... I want to talk about what happened to Mimsie.”

“Didn’t she die?”

Caractacus winces a little at the phrasing. Nevada could be very blunt sometimes but knew he wasn't being hurtful. He explains, “The short story of it - yes. I need to explain the entire story.”

“Oh yeah, you’ve never told me that.”

Caractacus rests his hands on his lap. His left thumb ran over his right knuckles a few times. His light green eyes gaze into Nevada’s dark green. Nevada inches closer till their shoulders touch. His hand caresses the small of Caractacus’ back.

Caractacus speaks, “It was a rainy day...”

* * *

Three years ago, back in England, Caractacus tinkered with a new invention in the kitchen. Mimsie comes down the stairs. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a light blue raincoat.

He lifts his goggles, “Where are you off to?”

“Need to pop in a few of the shops, love.”

“In this weather?”

“It’s not that bad. I’m not the Wicked Witch, Jack,” she jokes.

“I could invent some flying monkeys,” he responds, snickering.

“Cheeky,” she walks over and kisses him. “Do you need anything?”

“No, Dear,” he says.

The twins come from the parlour, “Can we go?”

Mimsie turns to them, “No, darlings. It’ll be a quick trip. Plus, you two still need to tidy up your room.”

“Aww,” they pout.

She kneels down, gives them a hug and kiss. “Don’t drive your father too crazy while I’m out.”

“We’ll try!” Jeremy says

Jemima immediately after, “Not to!”

She nuzzles their noses and then stands back up, “Thank you.” Grabbing an umbrella, she waves to them with a “goodbye”, and out the door she went.

Caractacus watches as she leaves and says when it thunders, “It’s tipping down.” Before putting his goggles on, he glances over at the children, “Now do what your mother said and clean your room.”

“Really, Daddy?” They both give him puppy eyes.

“Nope, not going to work on me this time,” he closes his eyes tight.

They slump away in defeat, “Okay.”

He opens one eye to see they went to their rooms, or he assumed they did. He continued his attentions to his project.

A few hours pass by and the children exit their room. “Clean!” They walk into the kitchen, “Where’s Mummy?”

He looks at the clock and then them, “Not sure?” He had a sinking feeling something was wrong.

Their phone rings, which Caractacus picks up. “Yes? I’m Caractacus Potts... Yes...” He nervously thumbs his wedding ring. “Repeat that again... A-are you- are you sure...” At this point tears had formed. “I-I understand. I’ll stop by to see.” As he hangs up the phone, the children come up to him.

“Who’s that?”

He wipes his eyes and was unsure to tell them that it was the police. They informed him that on her way back to their home, another car hit the taxi she was in. She had died, and he had to go to hospital to make an identification. He hated that his gut instinct was right.

“Are you crying? Are you all right?”

Holding back sobs was hard, but he had to for now, “Children, g-go tend to Grandpa. He may need help with the sheep.”

“Ok!”

As soon as they leave, he falls to the floor, and completely sobs. Slamming his right fist on the ground, he cursed himself for not stopping her. 

When he went to the morgue to identify her, he was in complete denial. She looked as if she was asleep. He wanted to shout through the glass to wake up and for her to tell him it was a joke or some weird prank. Yet, it was his wife lying there lifeless. They informed him she died from blunt force trauma from a broadside collision caused by another vehicle running a red light. It was instant, but that didn’t make him feel better.

Telling the children was harder. That their mother wasn’t coming home. They were only 6, nearly 7, and the concept of death was somewhat difficult for them to understand. That it was a permanent state.

Jeremy asks, “What if we sing her a song?”

Jemima adds, “Or kiss her boo-boos?”

“Children... unfortunately those won’t bring her back,” he kneels down, looking at them.

“Is it cause we left our room dirty before she left?” That question from Jeremy made Caractacus’ heart sink.

“No, it’s nothing we did.” It was still sinking in that he was now a widower and a single father to two children.

When it finally dawns on the two she wasn’t coming back, they begin to weep loudly. The only thing Caractacus could do was hug his children tight and kiss the tops of their heads. All they could do at this moment was cry together.

* * *

“And that’s what I wanted to tell you for a long time, but I wasn’t ready.” Caractacus bites his lower lip as he dries his eyes with his handkerchief. “It’s the one thing I have a hard time talking about.”

Nevada stays silent as he caresses his face, using his thumbs to wipe his remaining tears away.

“And I don’t want you to think I love you any less,” he nuzzles his cheek into Nevada’s palm. “She was my heart and my world and you are too.”

Nevada cups his face, gently kisses him, and says, “Thank you, _mi alma. Espero que sepas que yo también te amo mucho_. I mean it.”

Caractacus blinks for a moment. This was the first time Nevada said _te amo_ instead of _te quiero_ to him. He only knew the basics, but he knew the great importance this difference held. He holds him close, entangling his fingers with Nevada's. His heart felt lighter and happier telling Nevada this. He returns the kiss and says, “Thanks, Love.” Nevada’s response meant everything to him. He felt like the luckiest boyfriend in the world. 


End file.
